Basketball tipped off yesterday with a bang, and with it comes another year of keeping track of the freshest kicks, hottest gear and trends from headbands to rec specs every night. A good place to start is with the feet. The greatest basketball players in the world gave us a Christmas treat on Opening Day, displaying everything from special PEs to new signature sneaks—and sometimes both. Above is a sampling of the brightest, newest shoes from the first day of the ’11-12 campaign. Ready, set, discuss.

Basketball is so close you can smell it. And that “new shoe” smell, too. This NBA season, Christmas is coming early. Specifically, on Opening Day. The festive nature of our favorite game’s first full day of games is giving players and sneaker companies the opportunity to start the year off with a splash. Above is a collection of the best Christmas edition kicks that you can expect to see on-court when the ball goes up on Sunday.

Plus, the Jordan Melo M8, Jordan Fly Wade 2, Nike Zoom Kobe VII, Nike LeBron 9 and Nike Zoom KD IV signatures will go on sale to the public in their holiday colors on the same day they debut on the feet of their endorsers, via Nike’s online store or any retailers that are open. Some are subtle twists on an existing colorway, while others are more literal takes.

Either way you slice it, we’ll soon be talking about sneakers that the stars are actually wearing, instead of admiring shoes on a shelf or in a box. Hallelujah, and Happy Holidays!

Though there’s no word yet whether or not actual NBA basketball will be played on December 25 this year, we do know that these Christmas-themed Nike LeBron 9s will certainly be available during the upcoming holiday season. As you probably could’ve guessed, these feature a festive red-and-green colorway. H/T SoleLand for the images.